RIP Virgin Cross Country

After many weeks of travelling to and fro between Newcastle and Leeds, it was with a tear in my eye that I made my last ever journey courtesy of Mr Branson and Virgin Trains on that route.





For as of tomorrow, the route is taken over by no less than the mighty Arriva Cross Country...

Same trains; same liklihood of getting cut in two by the automatically closing doors at the carriage ends; same problems working out whether the toilet door is locked or not; same scrolling digital display above every seat; same staff; same track; same signals; same timetable; same opportunity for delays...

New train colours; new uniform; no doubt new (higher) prices; new script for the endless announcements before and after every station....

Will I be able to tell the difference next week?
We'll see!